Thursday, October 7, 2010

Charleston Views


Today we went into the city, here are some Charleston views.



Some of the gravestones were from 1600.




Look at the size of these oakleaf hydrangea leaves.


Some of the larger sweetgrass baskets were nineteen hundred dollars each. Perhaps ceramic artists should raise their prices.



Museums, markets, photos, bus, walking, exploring, lunch, more museums, shops, more photos, trolley, more walking, more exploring, another bus, back to motorhome, I wore myself out.

9 comments:

  1. Linda, when I was a kid, you could buy those sweetgrass baskets on the side of the road as you came in to Charleston. My mom bought one for $30 which she thought was high and we used it for a bread basket until she sat it on a stove burner one day and it caught on fire! I can't believe how much they are now, wonder how many they sell for $1900?

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  2. Tracey - I also remember the women with the baskets on the side of the road -- I'm glad they are getting the recognition they deserve - but I also wonder how many they sell at that price.

    Linda - it's great to see all these photos of Charleston. I haven't been back in a few years. My cousin now lives in Colorado & his parents (my aunt & uncle) have been dead for many years. I have so many wonderful memories of being in that area.

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  3. Hi Tracey, thanks, the largest covered ones were $1900, but some smaller ones were about $250 to $300, but I didn't buy one. I plan to stop on our way out of town to see if I can find a small one for a good price because the sweet grass smell was so wonderful. I guess the basket makers are having a hard time finding the sweetgrass growing anywhere due to erosion and development and many baskets have more palmetto and pine needles than sweetgrass and those baskets aren't as finely woven. Someone told me in summer they sell a lot of them, we didn't see many folks buying them while we were here.

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  4. Hi Judy, thanks, this basket making really may become a lost art as many of the younger generation don't want to make baskets, most of the women and men I saw making them were elderly. I noticed one woman signing her baskets on the back and remarked to her about it, nice to have the signature of the maker. Some said it took them 12 hours to make one average size basket and big ones took longer. Of course they have to hand gather the materials for the baskets in the swampy areas - not easy either.

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  5. Thanks for sharing more of your trip. Sweet grass baskets, I can smell them now.

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  6. ok... now charleston is on my "must go to" list. i just love old cemeteries. thanks again for sharing your trip with us.

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  7. Love your photos of Charleston. What a lovely city. I recall the first time I went there, wanting to get one of those baskets, and stopping at a roadside stand. I was a bit surprised at the prices, even though I know the time involved, etc. I did not get one, but they sure were nice. I took tons of cemetary photos.

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  8. Thanks for sharing your trip photos! I got married in Charleston 17 years ago and have been back only a cuople of times. I love it!

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  9. Hi Teresa, thanks, they smelled so good, unfortunately there were no basket booths on the other side of the city, so I didn't get a basket and now I am sorry I didn't even get a tiny one, but we will go back and then I can get one.

    Hi Michele, thanks, as cities to, Charleston is really nice to visit, I wore myself out walking around on the hard surfaces though; my back can only handle so far and then I have to call it quits. The trolley car was rough riding too. Had to switch to the bus. You can ride all day for $5 though which beats taking a cab for price.

    Hi Barbara, thanks, I have always wanted to take a rubbing from a gravestone and never have, one of these days. some of the graves were so old the letters were worn off.

    Hi Kari, thanks, glad you enjoyed the photos, very romantic city to be married in for sure. We only saw a small part, need to go back.

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